Candidates Backed by Voices

March 2020 Ballot

District 2 Supervisor - Monica Brown

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As the incumbent in this race, Monica has proven an outstanding representative for the residents in District 2. She brings her background as a classroom teacher of 39 years and a former Trustee at Solano Community College to her position as a Supervisor. Ensuring that we have a highly trained workforce and a thriving Community College with a strong Career and Technical training component remain top priorities for Monica.

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She is an independent voice on the Board, unafraid to buck the established network in defense of the most vulnerable of her constituents. Having witnessed up close the devastating impacts of poverty on families in her community, Monica fights to bring resources to those who need them most. Monica is dedicated to using her position as a County Supervisor to help solve homelessness and provide more services for mental health in Solano County. She stood up early and spoke out forcefully against a proposed marine terminal and slag cement mill project that would negatively impact the health and quality of life for Vallejo residents in her District.

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When we have a representative who has shown herself to be accessible, responsive, and effective in the Supervisor position, it makes no sense to replace her with a lesser qualified unknown who would likely go along to get along. What we need to do instead is give her some help on the Board of Supervisors from District 1.

District 1 Supervisor Robert McConnell

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Robert served as an independent voice on the Vallejo City Council for the past nine years, and demonstrated the qualities that make him the right choice for the Board of Supervisors. Vallejo is the largest city in Solano county with issues common to other Bay Area metropolitan areas, but county government has historically shortchanged city residents when it comes to allocating county resources. Robert intends to change that pattern, working to improve transportation systems,increase funding for housing at all levels of need, direct new businesses to District 1, and provide life changing programs for those who need vocational training, substance abuse assistance, emotional support, and day-care.

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His opponent in this race, Erin Hannigan remains firmly connected to the political network that has perpetuated this unequal treatment. Her father served on the Fairfield City Council and Solano County Board of Supervisors in the 1970's and as the local state assemblyman from 1978 to 1996. Erin ran unopposed in the last election for her second four year term as District 1 Supervisor. That crony entanglement was clearly on display in documents obtained through public records requests that exposed the activities of a clandestine committee pursuing a private initiative to re-industrialize the Mare Island Strait. That effort ran counter to the clearly expressed desire of Vallejo residents for development of our waterfront through the public general plan update process, which explains the need to keep these activities secret.

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In spite of efforts at revisionist history, documents show the old crony county network was well represented on the clandestine committee membership. Erin Hannigan's representative is listed as an official member. Robert McConnell and two fellow Vallejo Councilmembers elected with opposition from the JumpStart PAC were kept in the dark about the existence of the committee, and its extensive lobbying campaign to get the Army Corps to deep dredge the length of the Straight to accommodate giant cargo ships. Here is the Mare Island Strait Economic Development Committee (MISEDC) roster released through a public records request:

Particularly troubling, beyond withholding information from elected Vallejo officials and the illegal conscription of city employees to work on an unsanctioned private lobbying effort, is the participation of Orcem and VMT. Vallejo had just completed a multi-year, multimillion dollar process to update the city's general plan. The vision for our waterfront developed with broad public participation does not include heavy polluting industry like the slag cement mill proposed by VMT and Orcem. The only reason it could be considered at all is that the project application preceded the completion of the general plan update.

Following the exposure and collapse of the MISEDC, the crony network politicians and self styled captains of industry continued to hew to the JumpStart position that they needed 'more information' about the project, in spite of the voluminous environmental report and exhaustive examination by the grassroots opposition that sprang up in defense of south Vallejo's vulnerable residents. As a member of the lead agency on city council, Robert McConnell was not able to publicly express his opposition like Supervisor Brown. However he submitted some 250 questions in response to the environmental report and voted to end the application process when given the opportunity.

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An indication of the stark difference between these two candidates is the fact that Robert McConnell was very deliberately excluded from the MISEDC, while Erin Hannigan had her representative serving on the committee. She subsequently received a political donation from the president of Orcem, leaving little doubt as where he thought her loyalties would lie. The willingness to join in pursuit of a project in secret that would benefit the county financially while Vallejo residents live with the negative impacts for many decades to come is revealing. The fact that these clandestine activities fly in the face of the shared vision developed with broad public input is disqualifying for an elected representative.

Let's send an independent thinker in Robert McConnell to represent District 1 instead - someone who will fight to ensure that Vallejo residents receive a fair share of county services and resources.

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Democratic Party Central Committee

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Although this level of activism often flies under the radar, these are important positions in terms of influence on local politics. Among the issues important to these candidates:

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We will work regionally to empower local Democrats & citizens to have more input into projects that affect them on a local, county, state and national level.

The climate change issue is one of our priorities and we will work to address the local effects: fires, droughts, sea level rise and dramatic temperature changes.

We're committed to promoting economic development with good paying jobs and benefits, including promoting start-ups and small businesses.

We opposed the Valero Crude by Rail Project, the Orcem cement factory, and Measure 3 bridge toll increases and will continue to protect community safety and economic viability

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District 1

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Karen Sims

"Once elected I will reach out to all residents in my district --listening to their questions, finding answers, and offering opportunities to get involved. Like my work fighting against the cement plant, I want to continue working for community standards and environmental issues."

Michelle Pellegrin

"We don't have time to do things the old way. We need to hear from the community, be innovative, and partner in order to solve the pressing problems of the day: climate, jobs, equity, democratic participation."